


empty pies and open hearts

by silvain



Category: The Witcher (TV)
Genre: Gen or Pre-Slash, M/M, i wrote it as shippy but you can take it as friendship if you want, implied geralt/jaskier, post-episode: s1e05 bottled appetites
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:48:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22245841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvain/pseuds/silvain
Summary: Geralt is bad at expressing himself when he's tired, but his opinion of Jaskier's singing needs a bit of clarification, after everything is over.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 29
Kudos: 486





	empty pies and open hearts

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t know if this is going anywhere, but right now it’s a post-episode snippet about Geralt’s thoughts on Jaskier’s singing, with some implied Geraskier but mostly Geralt being emotionally constipated. It might be the first chapter of a longer story, or it might just be this- not sure yet. Either way, this is my headcanon for what Geralt meant with that pie comment.

'Like a pie with no filling'. He'd meant it, in a way, but somehow it had come out sounding nothing like what he meant at the same time, and he was too tired, too frustrated, to find the words to say what he really meant.

It had never been that he didn't _enjoy_ Jaskier's singing. But he had no interest in songs with no... no emotional meat to them. For all he kept his own emotions buried and rarely if ever indulged in any release of them, he understood well that the point of creative endeavors was to bring catharsis, and while he was loath to admit to it, he did enjoy that about them.

He'd heard Jaskier sing songs with real meaning, real feeling to them, on occasion, but most of what he played in inns and taverns was... empty, in comparison. It felt bland and false, when he knew Jaskier to be capable of so much more.

And instead of saying any of that, he'd made a wish he hadn't even meant, nearly cost Jaskier his life, and apparently upset ~~his~~ _the_ bard by letting Jaskier believe him dead (he'd been _distracted_ , he hadn't realized how it would look--)... and now he sat in a tavern, _still_ not explaining what he meant because he knew how much more would pour out of him if he opened his mouth.

Too many feelings. Things he shouldn't say.

So he sat and watched Jaskier revel in having his voice back, singing empty songs for the masses, and wished for the gentle, aching beauty of the songs Jaskier sang while they camped instead.

* * *

  
"Geralt!" Jaskier flopped into the booth beside him with all the loose-limbed exhaustion of a bard that had played all night. "I know you've managed _some_ sleep, you needn't look like you're going to stab someone anymore," he teased.

"Hmm," Geralt replied, not bothering to look up from glaring into his mug. He wasn't ready to dare saying more, not when his mind was full of how close he'd come to losing Jaskier. He knew how much he'd say if he let himself open up right now, and it was more than he could afford to.

"I know it's all _fillingless pie_ but you could at least pretend to enjoy my performance," Jaskier continued with an eye roll, "or at least pretend you're enjoying the _ale_."

Geralt huffed. Apparently they were doing this. "Not all of it," he muttered.

"Not- Geralt, you're going to have to use more words than that, I've had a difficult day and I can't follow your usual reticent half-formed nonsequiters right now, much as I usually enjoy trying to translate your complete lack of words," Jaskier replied.

"Your singing. It isn't...." Geralt sighed, growling into his mug as he drained it. It clanked loudly against the table, his head tipping back as he slammed it down, doing his best not to look Jaskier in the eyes for this. "The things you sing in taverns are empty and bland, meant to excite the masses with meaningless babble. But I've heard you sing things with real emotion in them. I like those better."

They sat like that for several moments- Geralt's head tipped back, eyes closed, and Jaskier turned to face him, draped over the seat and twisted around to stare at Geralt in open-mouthed silence- before Geralt finally turned to look at his bard, surprised by the lack of response.

Finally, with Geralt's eyes on him, a slow grin broke across Jaskier's face. "So you _do_ like my singing!" he responded, laughing in delight.

" _Damn it, Jaskier_ ," Geralt muttered, shaking his head.


End file.
